Williams Delighted To Be Back In Palace Colours

21 July 2018

Jonathan Williams suffered an early end to the playing days of his loan spell at Sunderland last season after an injury picked up in March but he is putting that behind him and cannot hide his excitement at being back at the club's Copers Cope training base.

On Saturday afternoon he was a second half substitute as the Eagles came from behind against League One Oxford United to travel back down the M40 with a 3-1 victory.

“It is always nice to be out there in a Palace shirt and I felt fine. On a personal note I am fit, back in pre-season training and playing in games and that is all I can ask at the moment and then it is up to the manager to keep giving me opportunities and I will give myself the best chance.

“They can’t give us too much respect in these kind of games as we have the type of players who can open them up as we showed in the second half. If you give Wilf time and space then he will go past you and score, he has been vital to the way we have played over recent years. We all remember what he did in the play-off season to get us up to the Premier League and he has continued to show the same form, if not better, and it’s great to be out there playing alongside him.”

Williams was on the week-long trip to Scandinavia and played in last Monday’s 6-1 victory against Halmstads BK but even though having had to sit out some of the training on tour he is looking at being ready for the start of the league season on August 11th

“I had a groin injury last week although I only missed a couple of days training but I enjoyed the trip and everyone is now happy to be back home and hopefully the next two weeks will go quickly and we can all look forward to the season starting up again.”

He spoke after Saturday’s victory at the Kassam Stadium about his role in the side and spoke of his preference around the midfield position that he prefers to take up for the team.

“When I do play out wide I am not a natural out and out winger and like to come inside and play more central as it suits me to have more bodies around me to play off. But even though I would rather play central if I am asked to play a role out wide I know I have the freedom to come inside.“